Elahi 'constitutionally' no longer Punjab CM: Rana Sanaullah

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday that Chaudhry Parvez Elahi had “constitutionally” ceased to be the Punjab chief minister (CM) after skipping a vote of confidence from the house.

Talking to media in Lahore, Sanaullah said Punjab governor Balighur Rehman had asked the CM to take a vote of confidence by Wednesday. Due to the fact that he did not comply, "according to the constitution, Elahi is no longer the chief minister”.

He said that the governor’s notification denotifying Elahi as the chief minister is now just a formality, and as soon as the governor gives the order, it will be implemented immediately.

Speaker Punjab Assembly ignores governor’s order, adjourns session till Friday

On December 20, Speaker Punjab Assembly (PA) Sibtain Khan had disposed of Balighur Rehman’s order asking Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence, terming it “against the constitution and rules of procedure”.

The speaker also adjourned the PA session till December 23 – the same day the ruling coalition intends to dissolve the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On Saturday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan announced that his governments in the two provinces will dissolve their assemblies on Friday to pave the way for fresh elections.

In order to limit Elahi’s powers, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance filed a no-confidence motion against him.

Soon after, the Punjab governor also sent advice, instructing the chief minister to obtain a vote of confidence from the PA on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, responding to a question about who would be the new Punjab chief minister, Sanaullah said the PML-N has not yet made a decision about it.

“But Hamza is our parliamentary leader and has managed the party well. I think he’ll be our candidate.”